Western European TV market worth €99bn

The TV market in Western Europe was worth €99.4 billion at the end of 2016, accounting for an annual growth rate of 1.8 per cent. This compares to a 17.5 per cent growth over the period 2006-2016, at an average annual rate (CAGR) of over 1 per cent.

These are the key conclusions of the 15th edition of the annual report Turning Digital: The Future of Streaming Content published by Rome-based ITMedia Consulting.

However, the growth was uneven across countries, due to the deep disparities between the national markets in Europe. Advertising remains the leading force in the TV market, with a positive growth in the last two years (+2.6 per cent on 2015), reaching €32.7 billion. The Internet segment accounted for almost half of total advertising spending in 2016.

The pay-TV market grew by 2.5 per cent in 2016, to €45.1 million thanks partly to IPTV, which registered a 66 per cent growth in the period 2011-2016, to the detriment of cable TV which has been in decline since 2010.

The report also highlights the fact that new ways of video consumption are expanding beyond the single screen and streaming and mobile services represent the main drivers of this change. Another new trend is the live online offer of sports.